Mechanism for the filling of cigarette boxes



MECHANISM FOR THE FILLING OF CIGARETTE BOXES Filed June 10, 1958 April 26, 1960 M. POLLMANN 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Fig.7

INVENTOR! April 26, 1960 M. POLLMANN MECHANISM FOR THE FILLING OF CIGARETTE BOXES Filed June 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 4

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MECHANISM FOR THE FILLING OF CIGARETTE BOXES nited States Patent Max Pollmann, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany, assignor to Hauni-Werke Kiirber & Co. KG, Hamburg-Bergedorf, Germany The invention relates to a mechanism for the filling of cigarette boxes, by which the box is subdivided into cells by means of partitions, and the introduction of the cigarettes into the boxes is eifected through a conveying means.

It is the object of the invention to provide a box filling mechanism with which any of the boxes known in cigarette factories can be filled.

The characteristic of the filling machine related to the invention consists in this, that the partitions subdividing the box into cells are secured to a device entirely separate from the box, on which the boxes can be superimposed in such a manner that their floors lie under the lower edge of the partition walls which are grooved for this purpose, by which between the mechanism and a filling station located above it such a relative movement is created that the boxes are filled cell by cell.

By a preferred form of construction of the invention, the partition walls standing vertically on the conveyor are rigidly secured thereto, and capable of back-and-forth movement in the plane of the conveyor. By a simple formula of the invention, it is provided that only so many partitions are secured to the conveyor, e.g., a carriage, as are necessary for the subdivision of a box.

A form of construction of the invention is schematically represented on the drawing. Shown there are:

Fig. l, elevation of the mechanism without the box deliveryand transfer-station.

Fig. 2, plan view of the mechanism.

Fig. 3, section through the box conveyor.

Fig. 4 device for sealing the filling station.

Fig. 5, section through line C-D, Fig. 1, of the box conveyor.

Fig. 6, enlarged view of the magazine exit.

Fig. 7, path of travel of the filling plate.

The carriage 2 is moved back and forth by means of the rollers 3 on the guide surface 1. This movement is obtained by means of a chain drive 4, which is connected to the carriage 2 by catch pieces 5. On the carriage 2 are secured partition walls 6 equidistant from each other and from the side walls 7 of the box being slid over. Through a suitable control of the chain movement, e.g., by variable motor or by variable drive, the carriage 2 is led by the catch pieces to the position 2. Above the carriage 2 is arranged the filling station 8. This consists of the transport belt B, the charging hopper T, a two-piece flap 12, a filling plate 11 having a path of travel indicated on Fig. 7 by arrow 13, and a feeler 14 arranged on the charging hopper T for the control of the movement of the filling plate 11.

The boxes S (see also Figs. 4 and 5) are slid on to the carriage 2 in such a manner that their floors come to lie in the grooves 6a of the partition walls 6. The boxes are then led by the carriage 2 under the charging hopper T, and after the resultant filling are driven before a ram St. This ram St is provided with a wall 16 having slots 15 for the walls 6, and which corresponds ice to the internal opening of the box. By means of this ram St, the filled boxes are pushed across to their transport arrangement on the box transfer station 9.

The filling of the boxes takes place as follows:

The swiveling flaps 12 in the vicinity of the magazine exit .close the magazine exit during movement of the boxes, and for filling are swung out in the direction of arrow 12 close against the side walls of the magazine. The outlet of the charging hopper is thus freed, so that the cell Z can be filled, whereby the filling plate is moved downward as far as the floor of the box S, and the speed of this downward movement is controlled through a scanning feeler 14 in a known manner. The filling plate 11 on the floor of the box S is now, in accordance with Fig. 7, drawn out of the cell Z across to the endless chain and again led upward.

After the filling of the cell Z located below the charging hopper T, the flap 12 now closes. After the filling plate 11 has been pushed into the appropriate box cell, the flap 12 opens under release of the charging hopper T, after which the corresponding operation repeats itself.

The filling plate 11 moves therefore vertically in an upper rectangular path 7 at right angles to the carriage 2. The switching of the feed motion of the chain drive 4 is suitably arranged through the movement of the filling plate 11.

Before the filling plate 11 is drawn out of the stack of cigarettes, an opposing bar, which is not shown, places itself in front of the cigarettes in contact with the plate so as to avoid these cigarettes being drawn out. After all the cells of the box have been filled, the box is driven to the transfer position S. In this position theram St catches the box walls, the box floor and the cigarette stack and slides the filled box to the box transfer station 9. The carriage 2' with the partition walls 6 rigidly attached to it is then slid once more into the range of the delivery station 10 for the empty boxes S. There upon a fresh box is pushed on to the carriage 2 and the process repeats itself.

What I claim is:

1. A mechanism for filling cigarette boxes having a bottom wall, end walls and at least one side wall, comprising conveying means, vertical partition walls carried by said conveying means, said partition walls being adapted to provide said boxes with a plurality of individual chambers adapted to be filled in succession during the movement of said conveying means, the lower edges of said partition walls being cut away to accept the bottom wall of said cigarette box and means for discharging said cigarette boxes from said conveying means after they have been filled in a direction transverse to the conveyor path of said conveying means.

2. A mechanism for filling cigarette boxes having a bottom wall, end walls and one side wall, comprising a carriage movable along a horizontal pathway, vertical partition walls carried by said carriage with their lower ends cut away to receive thebottom wall of said cigarette box, means for feeding cigarette boxes to said carriage in a direction transverse to the path of carriage movement, said partition walls being adapted to project into the box between the end walls to form a series of vertical chambers, means above said carriage for feeding cigarettes to each of said vertical chambers during the movement of said carriage along a horizontal carriage pathway so that said vertical chambers will be filled in succession during the movement of said carriage, and means for discharging said boxes from said carriage in a direction transverse to the direction of said carriage pathway after all of said vertical chambers have 0 been filled.

aesaeva in that the partition walls are rigidly secured to the conveying means and are arranged vertically thereon, said partition walls being moved to and fro in the conveyor plane. t

4. A mechanism according to' claim 1 characterized in' that a predetermined number of partition walls are secured to the conveying means to divide the cigarette box into a plurality of individual chambers-with the vertical partition walls spaced apart a distance such that the endmost partition walls will be spaced an equal distance from the end walls of the cigarette box.

5; A mechanism according to claim 1 characterized in that a filling station is mounted above said conveying means to fill said individual chambers, and said filling station comprises a hopper beneath which is located a filling plate movable vertically and downward toward the conveying means.

6. A mechanism according to claim 2 characterized in"that s'aid cigarette feeding means includes a hopper mounted above said carriage and is provided with means for opening and closing the discharge opening thereof including a pair of swiveled flaps provided on the side walls of the hopper adjacent the hopper discharge and arranged to close the discharge outlet during movement of the boxes onto said carriage and to be opened against the walls of said hopper during the filling of said vertical chambers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,964,084 Rundell June 26, 1934 2,592,642 Bardet Apr. 15, 1952 2,703,669 Voegelin Mar. 8, 1955 2,752,743 Friedli July 3, 1956 

